It wasn't so much sun, fun and sea air for Bank holiday beachgoers today as a total washout, as towns in the east of England spent the first day of the long weekend up to their knees in water.

Drains burst on the beachfront at Southend-on-Sea during the deluge that began this morning and saw more than a month's worth of rain fall in just a
few hours, and the Met Office has issued weather warnings across the east of England.

At one stage in the day, 20mm of rain fell across Essex in an hour, and entire streets had to be evacuated in the town of Billericay after floods caused landslips that dragged down a wall.

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Sea street: Visitors to Southend-on-Sea in Essex found themselves up to their knees as a drain burst on the waterfront

Washout! Driving rain around Basildon, Billericay, Benfleet and Southend in Essex led to flash floods and road closures, particularly on the London bound carriageway of the A127

Driving rain: Families braved the roads despite warnings from rescue services as forecasters are still predicting an improvement towards the end of the weekend

To the rescue! Essex County Fire & Rescue Service Control Operators were out in force to respond to the deluge of calls to flooding incidents caused by this morning's rain

Leeds festival has been one of the worst
hit areas with torrential rain falling throughout the night from 11pm,
leaving Bramham Park resembling a giant mudbath.

Tents
were left soggy, and their occupants soggier, but festival staff
managed to keep the arena passable by covering the ground in woodchips.

The
weather forecast for the rest of the day suggested the rain would hang
around - but it did not seem to have soured the mood among revellers.

Charlotte
Price and Tom Hinchcliffe, both 18 and from Bramham, said they were
excited about seeing tonight's headliner's Green Day and would not be
put off by the weather and muddy conditions.

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Chris Hutton, 25, and
Aaron Hall, 23, both from Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland, said they
were looking forward to seeing Kodaline and Zane Lowe, who was due to be
DJing on the Relentless stage in the campsite later on.

Making the most of it: Festival goers Rebecca Henderson, 20, Annmarie Shannon, 22, and Helen Welburne, 22, walking through the mud at Leeds Festival 2013

Oops: A festival goer falls down into the mud at Leeds festival - covering her legs in thick mud

No point in wearing these anymore: A reveller at Leeds Festival removes her wellington boots after ending up covered in mud past her knees

Diving in: A festival goer falls into the mud at Leeds Festival in Bramham Park after heavy rain today

Brightening up: Much of the east of England will experience heavy rain showers today but it will begin to clear tomorrow ahead of bright sunny spells on Monday

Slippery slope: This reveller obviously struggled to keep on his feet after heavy rain at Leeds Festival turned much of the grounds in Bramham Park into a mudbath

Stuck in the mud: Despite the heavy rainfall and muddy field, the 80,000-strong crowd still seemed determined to have a good time

Chris said the wet weather and mud did not worry him. 'We'll be all right,' he said. 'It ruined our plans last night though.'

Joshua
Ball and Sophie Liddle, both 19 and from Leeds, said they would be
making their way to the front for Green Day's set tonight.Joshua
said: 'I love it muddy. We'll be covered in mud later.'

Sophie
said: 'I wouldn't let wet weather put us off. You just put a hoodie on
don't you. It'd be better if it was sunny but at the end of the day you
can't do anything about that can we.'

The outlook for today was also bad news for
music fans at Reading festival. Wellies and ponchos were the order of the day at the Reading site, with showers expected to continue throughout the afternoon.

It's weather for wellies: Music fans walk through the mud at Leeds Festival where there has been heavy downpours as much of the east of England is expected to see rain today

Hitching a lift: Those who forgot their wellies
or just didn't want them to get muddy found alternate ways of getting
around Leeds Festival

Quick thinking: A music fan was forced to carry out some emergency DIY on his wellies after heavy rainfall at Leeds Festival

Jumping for joy: These music fans at Reading festival seem more than happy despite the rain after buying some umbrella hats

Forecasters warned there could be downpours during the evening and into tonight.

Brendan Jones from MeteoGroup, said: 'The rain willl get heavier during the night. It's very much downhill from now on.'

Revellers
took it in their stride however. Zak Rollinson, 19, from the Forest of
Dean, Gloucestershire, said: 'I wanted to have one really good day of
weather and one bad day. You need mud on the ground for it to be a
proper festival.'

His
friend David Green, also 19, said: 'You've got to be able to try out
your new wellies. We're really looking forward to Eminem. I got my
ticket as soon as I heard he was playing.'

The American rapper headlines the Reading site tonight, with Chase & Status and Foals also playing the main stage.

The Met Office spokesman said 'If I was going to Reading festival today I would be sure to take an umbrella with me.

Wild rides: Whatever your mode of transport, it was a damp day to be out in central London as the rain barely left off throughout the day

Bank hol stroll: This couple was undaunted as they took a break in the park as rain beat down on London's parks today

Shelter from the storm: A couple gets cosy as they head for cover under the trees in Hyde Park

Running for cover: A woman attempts to run for shelter from a heavy downpour of rain in Kilburn, North London

Downpour: A woman walks through the torrential rain in a pair of flip flops in Notting Hill, London, as much of the east of the country was hit by heavy rain

Walking in the rain: There was a soggy start to the Bank Holiday weekend for many today with heavy rain on the eastern side of the country, including Notting Hill, London, pictured

Causing a splash: A driver causes a large splash over the pavement as they drive through large puddles in Kilburn, North London

Soaking wet: A rain soaked woman makes her way through a heavy downpour of rain in Kilburn, North London

Caught in the rain: Much of London, including Kilburn, pictured, experienced heavy downpours throughout the day

'There's a strong chance of sudden, heavy downpours throughout the day and overnight.

'From
Hampshire eastwards and north to Yorkshire, it's not going to be a nice
afternoon. It will be very wet and a weather warning for rain has been
issued for the entire region.

'Across
the rest of the UK it will clearer with sunny spells. Ironically, it is
likely to be warmer in the areas where rain is expected because of
cloud cover. Temperatures will reach highs of 21C.'

Some
localised areas in the south-east, such as Kent, Sussex and London,
could see flash flooding with more than 40mm of rain expected to fall in
quick bursts today.

Parts of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire have also experienced heavy downpours. York had 15mms of rainfall within one hour by 6am this morning.

A spokesman for the Met Office added: 'It's very likely that some areas in the east of England could see a month's worth of rainfall in a few hours.

Plenty of space: Brighton beach in East Sussex, which is often full to the brim when the weather is warm, was left virtually empty today

Grey day: A few brave people brave the cold winds to sit on the beach in Brighton, Sussex, which has remained almost completely deserted throughout the day

Out and about: Visitors walk along the seafront in Brighton, East Sussex, at the start of the August Bank Holiday weekend

Quiet day: A lifeguard looks out over an almost empty beach in Brighton, Sussex, at the start of the August Bank Holiday weekend

This will be very localised, there have been some reports of flash flooding in Kent and London with 20mms falling in just an hour.'[

The average rainfall for the whole of the UK is 89.5mm but this drops to just 62.3mm in the south-east. And with many parts expected to see more than 40mms fall today, many won't be far off the average for the entire month of August.

Rain also delayed the start of play on day four of the fifth Ashes test between England and Australia at The Oval today.

The Championship match between Charlton Athletic and Doncaster Rovers at The Valley in London was suspended today because of heavy rain.

The Environment Agency has issued 18 flood alerts - two in Anglia, three in the Midlands, one in the north-east, nine in the south-east, one in the south-west and two in Wales.

But the weather will gradually improve in the east tomorrow before the whole country will finally be able to enjoy sunny weather together on Bank Holiday Monday, with predicted highs of 26C (78.8F).

Tom Tobler, a forecaster for MeteoGroup, said: 'There will be quite a clear east-west split over the weekend.

'There will be a lot of heavy rain about, confined mainly to the east of the UK.

'In contrast the west will be mainly dry, with just the off shower.

It could be worse: While areas including Saltburn, Cleveland, have seen heavy downpours, this Bank Holiday is far from the wettest the UK has seen which was 152.2mms of rain in 1992

Wet weekend: Residents of Saltburn, Cleveland, pictured, is just one of numerous areas across the east of England which is expected to see heavy rainfall today

Summer showers: Drivers in Saltburn, Cleveland, England, attempt to drive along flooded roads after heavy rain left many nearly impassable

Rained off: Charlton Athletic players leave the pitch after play is suspended due to extreme weather during the Championship match between Charlton Athletic and Doncaster Rovers at The Valley in London

Debate: The Doncaster Rovers Manager Paul Dickov, third right, talks to the referee Lee Collins after play is suspended due to extreme weather

Delayed start: A spectator sits in the rain on the fourth day of the fifth Ashes cricket test match between England and Australia, which was delayed due to the bad weather, at the Oval cricket ground in London today

Bad day for sport: Empty stands at The Oval this morning as bad weather delayed the start of play on day four of the Fifth Investec Ashes Test match

On the road: A fire engine driving through flooded roads in Littlehampton, Sussex, this morning

Fire fighters try to put out a tree fire in Worthing, Sussex, today which was sparked when it was struck by lightning during thunder storms

'The rain will be the heaviest in the south-east and the north, with a risk of flooding in areas which see thunderstorms.

'It's a gradually improving picture on Sunday, but Monday will be the best day of the three-day weekend.

'The east will catch up and the majority of the UK will enjoy sunny, dry weather with highs of 26C.'

In west London it will be a dreary kick-off to the UK's largest carnival tomorrow, with the loud, colourful procession met with rain, improving slightly in the afternoon.

But the rain is unlikely to put people off from attending the Notting Hill Carnival, one of the liveliest events on the London calendar

By Monday temperatures will have reached 23C (73.4F). Although not quite Caribbean temperatures, the skies will at least be dry.

The Met Office issued a weather warning for heavy rain for much of the
east of England today, pictured circled left, while the south-east saw
heavy downpours this morning, highlighted right in yellow, orange and
red